Our Opinion: Deserved recognition

Prudential Davis Awards honor state workers

This legislative session could offer the best chance in years to reward state employees with a boost in pay. For six years, these employees have seen their numbers dwindle, their job descriptions expand and their benefits challenged.

In short, it's been tough to be a state employee in Florida.

At the same time, those who are inspired by their work continue to find the will to achieve, and in doing so, are making a difference in departments from Pensacola to Miami through creativity and motivation. And, they're saving the state huge chunks of money.

That's why the annual Prudential Davis Productivity Awards are so important to Tallahassee and our state. The program is co-sponsored by Florida TaxWatch, the Florida Council of 100, the state of Florida and Prudential. Each year, a select group of business leaders across the state choose individuals or teams for top honors. And each year, state employees demonstrate why they are some of the best in the country. Their contributions have resulted in $8.1 billion in savings since the program was established 25 years ago.

This year's honorees saved an estimated $514 million, according to Florida TaxWatch.

Examples of recognized work by employees in Tallahassee include:

? The Department of Transportation: A six-member team recovered $2.9 million from motorists who damaged guardrails or light fixtures operated by the state. This compares with $564,000 collected during the previous fiscal year.

? Rebeccah Whidden put in nearly 800 hours off the clock to develop an agencywide applications system for the Department of Legal Affairs, saving the department over $75,000 in consulting fees.

? A 15-member team from the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles put in more than 800 hours installing digital video systems in patrol cars used by the Florida Highway Patrol. It saved the department an estimated $1 million.

? Christopher O'Toole, of the Department of State, gave up his nights and weekends for six weeks to move 500,000 digital records from one platform to another, providing better access to the public.

For contributions like these, teams or individuals will receive a plaque and cash awards from $200 to $3,000.

While that doesn't sound like much, Florida is the only state in the country to recognize its employees with such an awards program.

If you know of someone being honored, tell them thanks. Their commitment is outstanding.

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Our Opinion: Deserved recognition

This legislative session could offer the best chance in years to reward state employees with a boost in pay. For six years, these employees have seen their numbers dwindle, their job descriptions